Twelve reasons to study English
1. English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. 60 of the 196 countries of the world have English as their official language. The UN, NATO and the European Free Trade Association have English as their official language (an interesting factoid: English is not the official language of the USA as it has no official language).
2. English opens more opportunities for you. English is the lingua franca—if you are interested in the etymology of the term lingua franca, Italian is your friend—of the 21st century. It is used in business, science, and diplomacy all over the world.
3. English gives you access to some of the world’s best universities. For example: Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Yale to name a few.
4. English increases your employability. If you have ambitions to become an international businessperson, English is essential.
5. English grants you access to some of the greatest literature. Shakespeare, Orwell, Carroll, Austin—to list a few—are all in English. While there are translations, it hardly does justice for those great authors to read them in translation.
6. Popular Culture: Many of the top-grossing movies are made in Hollywood. How many times have you seen an American blockbuster and were frustrated by a lector or subtitles spoiling the movie? How many times have you hummed a pop song and were not able to know the lyrics because it was in English? Now there is a solution: Learn English!
7. International conferences and events. Ever dreamed of attending the Olympics but are just waiting 100 years for the Olympics to be in your country? Now you don’t have to wait, you can go the country that the Olympics are in to see the world’s greatest athletes compete against one another and understand the commentators.
8. Marketing and communications: companies need to release press releases and advertise in foreign countries all the time. The most common language used is English.
9. Customer service and sales – when dealing with English-speaking customers, you’ll be able to assist them. Trying to broaden your sales? The English-speaking market is a very lucrative pool to swim in!.
10. Wider access to knowledge – Most websites on the internet is written in English. Additionally, an estimated 95% of academic articles are published in English.
11. Tourism – Interested in traveling the world? Not enough time to study the local language? Do not fear! English grants access to new lands and vistas that were only thought to be in novels and dreams.
12. Tourism to your business – Do you have a location or particular site that you would like the world to know about? English is the gateway to access more people to come to see your special place.